Methods and systems for determining authenticity of a consumable product

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are described to determine authenticity of a consumable product. The determining of authenticity may include communicating with a listing engine that contains a list of identifiers for consumable products classified as non-authentic, installing a consumable product in a host device where the consumable product stores an identifier in memory, and determining whether the consumable product matches one of the identifiers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of and claimspriority to International Patent Application No. PCT/US2013/052908,filed on Jul. 31, 2013, and entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FORDETERMINING AUTHENTICITY OF A CONSUMABLE PRODUCT,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Authentication is a process of proving or verifying that certaininformation is genuine. Authentication processes can use differentmechanisms to ensure that the information is genuine. For example, auser identification code and a password may be used to verify that anauthor is who the author says he is when logging into a website topublish an online article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principlesdescribed herein and are a part of the specification. The illustratedexamples are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of an example of a consumable product and a deviceaccording to the principles described herein.

FIG. 1B is a diagram of an example of a list of non-authenticatedconsumable products according to the principles described herein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example of a process of a method ofdetermining authenticity of a consumable product according to theprinciples described herein.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an example of a method of determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of an example of a method of determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of a determining system according tothe principles described herein.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of a determining system according tothe principles described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The principles described herein include a method of determiningauthenticity of a consumable product, such as a print cartridge. Such anexample includes communicating with a listing engine that contains alist of identifiers for a consumable product classified asnon-authentic, where a host device has a mechanism to secure theconsumable product. In some examples, if the consumable product is notgenuine, the method includes preventing the usage of thenon-authenticated consumable product. In other examples, thenon-authenticated consumable product may be allowed to be used with thehost device.

Print cartridges can be authenticated upon installation into a printerso that for example a warranty eligibility of the print cartridge can bedetermined. In an example, third party print cartridges may not fallunder warranties offered by an original printer company.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present systems and methods. It will be apparent,however, to one skilled in the art that the present apparatus, systems,and methods may be practiced without these specific details. Referencein the specification to “an example” or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described is includedin at least that one example, but not necessarily in other examples.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of an example of a consumable product and a deviceaccording to the principles described herein. In this example, theconsumable product is a print cartridge (100) and the device is aprinter (102). The print cartridge (100) may provide any appropriatesupply to the printer (102) including ink, dry toner, wet toner, fluids,other materials, or combinations thereof. While this example isdescribed with reference to the consumable product specifically being aprint cartridge (100), any appropriate consumable product may be used.For example, the consumable product may be an oil filter, an air filter,another type of filter, a print cartridge, an erosion prone component ofa machine, another type of component, or combinations thereof. Further,while this example is described with reference to specific types ofdevices, any appropriate type of device may be used in accordance withthe principles described herein. For example, the device may be a twodimensional printer, a three dimensional printer, an automobile, avehicle, a plane, a boat, construction equipment, machines, other typesof devices, or combinations thereof.

In the example of FIG. 1A, the print cartridge (100) contains a digitalsignature (104) that is contained in memory (106). The digital signature(104) signs data stored on the print cartridge (100), such signed datacontains a unique identifier (108) for that print cartridge (100). Inresponse to being inserted into the appropriate receptacle in theprinter (102), the printer (102) and the print cartridge (100) arepositioned such to communicate with one another. For example, theprinter's receptacle may include electrical contacts that are positionedto abut electrical contacts of the print cartridge (100), whichcompletes an electrically conductive pathway on which the printer (102)and the print cartridge (100) can exchange data. In other examples, thereceptacle is positioned such that the print cartridge (100) canwirelessly communicate with the printer (102). In response to being ableto communicate, an authentication session between the printer (102) andthe print cartridge (100) is initiated. The print cartridge (100) mayrequest authentication to initiate the authentication session. However,in other examples, the printer (102) initiates the authenticationsession.

The printer (102) may use a public key (109), a symmetric key, anothermechanism, or combinations thereof to interpret the digital signature(104). If the digital signature (104) does not appear to be genuine, theprinter (102) will deny authentication. However, if the digitalsignature (104) appears to be genuine, the printer (102) will use anadditional layer of scrutiny to ensure that the digital signature (104)was not copied.

The additional layer of scrutiny may include referencing a printernon-authenticated identifiers list (112) that is associated with printcartridges that failed authentication requests or are otherwiseclassified as non-authentic. The printer non-authenticated identifierslist (112) may be downloaded to the printer (102) from a listing engine(114) over a network (116), such as the internet. The listing engine(114) may contain a listing engine non-authenticated identifier list(110) that includes non-authentic identifiers supplied from the printer(102) and/or other printers. The print cartridges associated with theprinter non-authenticated identifiers list (112) may have been deniedauthentication when they requested authentication with the printer (102)currently in an authentication session with the print cartridge or otherprinters at different locations. In some examples, each time a printcartridge (100) fails authentication, the printer (102) sends theidentifier associated with the non-authenticated print cartridge to acommon location, such as a cloud based web service.

In other examples, the non-authenticated identifiers may be added to thelist if they were detected to be installed in too many printers. In suchan example, the printers track both the authenticated identifiers andthe non-authenticated identifiers. The listing engine (114) can analyzethe authenticated identifiers, and if the occurrence of a particularauthenticated identifier exceeds a predetermined threshold, the listingengine (114) may add that particular identifier to the listing enginenon-authenticated identifier list (110).

In other examples, the non-authenticated identifiers are added to thelisting engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) manually. Thenumber of printers in which a print cartridge has been installed may betracked via the identifier. If this number exceeds a predeterminedthreshold, this suggests that the identifier has been copied and theidentifier may then be added to the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110). In other examples, the common location collectsprinter non-authenticated identifiers lists (112) from the multiplereporting printers to create the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110) that reflects the activity of multiple printers.

The non-authenticated print cartridges may be denied authentication forany appropriate reason. For example, if the digital signature (104)found in the print cartridge's memory (106) fails to match what theprinter (102) expected, the printer (102) will deny authentication andsend the print cartridge's identifier to the common location. In otherexamples, the printer (102) can deny authentication if the identifierappears to be corrupted. In yet other examples, the printer (102) candeny authentication if the identifier appears to have been used bymultiple printers because that would suggest that at least one of theprint cartridges was an unauthorized copy. While this example has beendescribed with reference to specific reasons that a printer (102) maydeny authentication to a print cartridge (100), any appropriate reasonfor denying authentication may be used in accordance with the principlesdescribed herein.

A communicator (118) of the printer (102) may communicate with thelisting engine (114) when internet connectivity exists. To ensure thatthe printer (102) has access to the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110) when internet connectivity is down, the printer(102) may download the identifiers from the listing enginenon-authenticated identifier list (110). However, in examples where thelisting engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) exceeds theamount of memory available in the printer (102), the printer (102) maydownload just a portion of the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110). When the printer (102) downloads (a portion of)the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list (110), it adds thisto its local printer non-authenticated identifiers list (112).

The listing engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) may beorganized in a manner that allows the printer (102) to download arelevant portion of the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list(110). For example, the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list(110) may be sorted by geography. In such a manner, the printer (102)may download the portion of the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110) within the geography that the printer (102) is in.In this manner, the printer (102) avoids downloading non-authenticatedprint cartridges that are denied authentication in a different region ofthe world than where the printer (102) is located. In other examples,the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) is sortedchronologically. In such an example, the identifiers of the mostrecently non-authenticated print cartridges may be listed first so thatthe printer (102) can download those identifiers that reflect theidentifiers that are currently being denied authentication. In yetanother example, the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list(110) may be sorted by the frequency that the failed authentication hasoccurred. In this example, the printer (102) can download theidentifiers that were most commonly denied authentication. A listingengine non-authenticated identifier list (110) organized by frequency offailed authentication may provide valuable protection against using anon-authenticated print cartridge because a third party may try to justduplicate a few print cartridges many times instead of trying toduplicate many print cartridges many times.

The printer (102) may download all or just a portion of the identifiersin the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) on aperiodic basis. In other examples, the printer (102) downloads thenon-authentic identifiers as instructed by a user or by the listingengine (114). In some examples, the printer (102) actively retrievesinformation from the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list(110). However, in other examples, the printer (102) passively receivesinformation from the listing engine non-authenticated identifier list(110). Downloading the identifiers from the listing enginenon-authenticated identifier list (110) may include downloading theentire list or just downloading updates to the listing enginenon-authenticated identifier list (110).

The principles described herein include the advantages of authenticatingthe print cartridge at the time when the print cartridge is installedinto the printer. As a result, internet connectivity does not have to beestablished at the time that the print cartridge is installed. Thus, theprinter can use the print cartridge with confidence of its authenticityimmediately without having to rely on an active internet connection tobegin the authentication process. In other examples where the printerwill not allow for use of a print cartridge until authentication iscompleted, authentication performed locally at the printer allows theprint cartridge to be used shortly after installation when there is nointernet connectivity because the authentication process does not relyon the internet connection at the time of installation.

In some examples, the printer (102) begins the authentication session byfirst attempting to authenticate the hardware of the print cartridge(100). If authentication of the hardware is successful, the printer(102) continues to authenticate the digital signature (104) stored inthe print cartridge (100). Thus, the authentication of the digitalsignature (104) is a second layer of protection to determine if theprint cartridges are genuine. If both the digital signature (104) andthe hardware appear to be genuine, the printer (102) then implements thecomparison between the identifier (108) in the signed data with theidentifiers from the printer non-authenticated identifiers list (112).Thus, the comparison acts as a third or an additional layer ofprotection. While this example has been described with reference tospecific layers that verify whether a consumable product is genuine, anyappropriate number of layers may be implemented in accordance with theprinciples described herein. Any appropriate layer to determineauthenticity may be implemented in any appropriate order. Further,additional types of layers not described in this specification may alsobe implemented as other layers, which may be inserted into theauthentication process in any appropriate sequence.

In some examples, the printer (102) is in communication with a remotedevice, such as a remote server (117). The remote server (117) may beconnected over a public network, like the internet, or over a privatenetwork. The remote server (117) may have memory (119) that stores atleast a portion of the non-authenticated print cartridge list, thepublic key, an authentication engine, or combinations thereof. In someexamples, the computer readable instructions and hardware forauthenticating the print cartridge (100) are distributed across theprinter (102), the remote device, another device connected to the remotedevice or printer (102), or combinations thereof.

FIG. 1B is a diagram of an example of a list (120) of non-authenticatedconsumable products in a listing engine according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the list (120) includes multiplecolumns and multiple rows. Each column represents an attribute of theconsumable product. A first column (122) represents the identifierassociated with the non-authenticated consumable product. The secondcolumn (124) represents a geographic region where the consumable productfailed authentication. The third column (126) represents the number oftimes that a consumable product associated with the identifier hasfailed authentication. The fourth column (128) represents whether theconsumable product has a specific attribute. The rows each represent asingle consumable product. For example, the first row (132) represents aconsumable product that has an identifier of 10001 that failedauthentication in China, that has failed authentication twenty threetimes and that contains the specific attribute.

The list (120) may be sorted in any appropriate manner. For example, thelist (120) may be sorted by identifier, geographic region, frequency ofauthentication failure, attributes of the consumable product, anotherattribute, or combinations thereof. In this manner, the list (120) maybe organized in an order that is useful for a device to determine whenthere is a match between the consumable product's identifier and theidentifiers on the list (120), especially when there is limited space inthe device's memory.

In other examples, the identifiers associated with frequency of failedauthentication or geographic regions are prioritized in the list suchthat the devices with similar properties can download portions of thelist that are relevant to them. For example, a device located in Chinamay not find an identifier associated with consumable products that arefailing authentication in Finland to be very relevant. Likewise, anidentifier that is frequently failing authentication may represent anidentifier that has been replicated multiple times and is therefore morelikely to be installed in another device. Thus, identifiers with ahigher frequency of occurred failure may be more relevant thanidentifiers associated with just a single or a few failedauthentications.

As part of the device's agreement with the listing engine (114), thedevice may provide the listing engine (114) with preferences for how toorganize the list (120) for the device. For example, the device mayindicate its location and other attributes that may assist the listingengine (114) in determining an appropriate list arrangement that isparticular to the device. In other examples, the listing engine (114)organizes the list in an order that is likely to assist a wide group ofthe devices, such as by frequency of occurred failure. In otherexamples, the listing engine (114) follows an ordering policy that hasmultiple rules for how to organize the list (120) based on variousfactors. While this example has been described with reference tospecific types of attributes to include in the list (120), anyappropriate type of attribute may be included in the list (120) inaccordance with the principles described herein. Further, while thisexample has been described with reference to specific mechanisms fororganizing the list (120), any appropriate mechanism for organizing thelist (120) may be used in accordance with the principles describedherein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart (200) of an example of a process for determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the process includes recognizing(202) that a consumable product is installed within a host device,initiating (204) an authentication session with the consumable product,and verifying (206) a digital signature stored in the consumableproduct's memory.

The process also includes determining (208) whether the digitalsignature appears genuine. If the digital signature does not appeargenuine, authentication is denied (210). On the other hand, if thedigital signature appears genuine, the process continues withdetermining (212) whether the identifier in the signed data matches anidentifier in the host device's non-authenticated identifiers list. Ifthe identifier in the signed data fails to match any of the identifiersrecorded in the host device's non-authenticated identifiers list, theconsumable product is authenticated (214). However, if the identifier inthe signed data matches one of the identifiers recorded in the hostdevice's non-authenticated identifiers list, authentication is denied(210).

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an example of a method (300) for determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the method (300) includescommunicating (302) with a listing engine that contains a list ofidentifiers for a consumable product that failed authentication,installing (304) the consumable product in the host device where theconsumable product stores an identifier in memory, and determining (306)whether the consumable product matches one of the identifiers. In someexamples if the consumable product matches one of the identifiers, thenon-authenticated consumable product is prevented from being used by thehost device. In other examples, the non-authenticated consumable productis permitted to be used by the host device.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of an example of a method (310) for determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the method (310) includescommunicating (312) with a listing engine that contains a list ofidentifiers for a consumable product that failed authentication wherethe device has a mechanism to secure the consumable product, receiving(314) the consumable product in the receptacle, initiating (316) theauthentication session with the consumable product, and denying (318) anauthentication request from the consumable product during theauthentication session based on an identifier of the consumable productbeing included in the list.

In some examples, the device recognizes that the consumable product incommunication with the device is inserted into the receptacle. As theconsumable product is being inserted into the receptacle, the consumableproduct may establish communication with the device. Based on anauthentication protocol, the authentication session may be initiated inresponse to the establishment of communication. While this example hasbeen described with reference to a specific mechanism for connecting theconsumable product to the device, any appropriate mechanism for securingthe consumable product to the device may be used in accordance with theprinciples described herein. For example, the consumable device may beinstalled in the device through a thread interface, insertion into areceptacle, another attachment mechanism, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of a determining system (400)according to the principles described herein. The determining system(400) can be a component of any appropriate device. For example, thedetermining system (400) may be incorporated into a printer, distantdevice, a service, a network device, a computing device, smart phone, atablet, a personal computer, a desktop, a laptop, a watch, a digitaldevice, or combinations. The determining system (400) includes a storingengine (401), a recognizing engine (402), and a communicating engine(404). In this example, the determining system (400) includes anauthentication engine (406), a denying engine (408), a downloadingengine (410), and a prevention engine (412). The engines (401, 402, 404,406, 408, 410, 412) refer to a combination of hardware and programinstructions to perform a designated function. Each of the engines (401,402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412) may include a processor and memory. Theprogram instructions are stored in the memory and cause the processor toexecute the designated function of the engine.

The storing engine (401) stores an identifier in a memory of theconsumable product that is unique to the consumable product. Therecognizing engine (402) recognizes that the consumable product is incommunication with the device and that the consumable product should besubjected to an authentication process. The authentication engine (406)initiates the authentication session between the consumable product andthe device. If the digital signature contained in the memory of theconsumable product appears to be genuine, then the authentication engine(406) continues to determine the consumable product's authenticity bycomparing the identifier associated with the consumable product with theidentifiers in a non-authenticated identifiers list. The communicatingengine (404) enrolls the device in an agreement with a remote listingengine that gives the device access to the list. The downloading engine(410) downloads the list from a remote location maintained by thelisting engine to ensure that the list is available when internetconnectivity is down. The storing engine (401) further stores the listof non-authenticated identifiers.

Further, the authentication process is quicker when the list is locallystored versus remotely consulting the list each time that the consumabledevice is seeking authentication. If the digital signature does notappear to be genuine or the consumable product's identifier matches oneof the non-authenticated identifiers from the list, the denying engine(408) denies authentication to the consumable product. The preventionengine (412) is used to prevent the usage of the consumable product ifauthentication is denied.

While this example has been described as first determining whether adigital signature appears to be genuine, in some examples, theconsumable product does not include a digital signature. In suchexamples, the identifier may be stored in the consumable product'smemory, be stored with another mechanism other than with a digitalsignature, or combinations thereof. The authentication process may relysolely on comparing the identifier to the list of non-authenticatedidentifiers. In other examples, the authentication process includesother tasks performed during the authentication process of whichcomparing the consumable product's identifier to the list is one of thetasks.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of a determining system (500)according to the principles described herein. The determining system(500) can be a component of any appropriate device. For example, thedetermining system (500) may be incorporated into a printer, distantdevice, a service, a network device, a computing device, smart phone, atablet, a personal computer, a desktop, a laptop, a watch, a digitaldevice, or combinations. In this example, the determining system (500)includes processing resources (502) that are in communication withmemory resources (504). Processing resources (502) include at least oneprocessor and other resources used to process programmed instructions.The memory resources (504) represent generally any memory capable ofstoring data such as programmed instructions or data structures used bythe determining system (500). The programmed instructions shown storedin the memory resources (504) include a consumable product recognizer(506), an authentication session initiator (508), a digital signatureverifier (512), a signed data confirmer (514), a communicator (516), anidentifier matcher (520), an authenticator (522), and an authenticationdenier (524). The data structures shown stored in the memory resources(504) include a key (510) and identifier list (518).

The memory resources (504) include a computer readable storage mediumthat contains computer readable program code to cause tasks to beexecuted by the processing resources (502). The computer readablestorage medium may be tangible and/or non-transitory storage medium. Thecomputer readable storage medium may be any appropriate storage mediumthat is not a transmission storage medium. A non-exhaustive list ofcomputer readable storage medium types includes non-volatile memory,volatile memory, random access memory, memristor based memory, writeonly memory, flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read onlymemory, magnetic storage media, other types of memory, or combinationsthereof.

The consumable product recognizer (506) represents programmedinstructions that, when executed, cause the processing resources (502)to recognize that a consumable product is in a condition to beauthenticated. For example, the device may recognize that the consumableproduct is in a condition to be authenticated if the consumable productis communicating with the device, the consumable product has sent arequest for authentication, the consumable product is secured to thedevice, another condition, or combinations thereof. The authenticationsession initiator (508) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (502) to initiate anauthentication session between the device and the consumable product.

The digital signature verifier (512) represents programmed instructionsthat, when executed, cause the processing resources (502) to verify adigital signature stored in the memory of the consumable product withthe key (510). The signed data confirmer (514) represents programmedinstructions that, when executed, cause the processing resources (502)to confirm that the signed data appears to be genuine. If the signeddata confirmer (514) cannot make such a confirmation, authentication isdenied.

The communicator (516) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (502) to communicate with aremote listing engine for a list of non-authenticated identifiers thatare stored in a remote location. The communicator (516) causes the list,or at least a portion of the list, to be downloaded to the device. Thedownloaded list, or portion of the list, populates the identifier list(518) with the non-authenticated identifiers.

The identifier matcher (520) represents programmed instructions that,when executed, cause the processing resources (502) to match anidentifier found in the signed data with an identifier in the identifierlist (518). If the identifier matcher (520) cannot match the identifierwith one from the list, the consumable product is authenticated.

The authenticator (522) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (502) to authenticate theconsumable product in response to determining that the digital signatureis genuine and that its associated identifier does not match anidentifier in the identifier list (518). The authentication denier (524)represents programmed instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessing resources (502) to deny authentication if it is determinedthat the consumable product's identifier matches an identifier from thelist of non-authenticated identifiers.

Further, the memory resources (504) may be part of an installationpackage. In response to installing the installation package, theprogrammed instructions of the memory resources (504) may be downloadedfrom the installation package's source, such as a portable medium, aserver, a remote network location, another location, or combinationsthereof. Portable memory media that are compatible with the principlesdescribed herein include DVDs, CDs, flash memory, portable disks,magnetic disks, optical disks, other forms of portable memory, orcombinations thereof. In other examples, the program instructions arealready installed. Here, the memory resources (504) can includeintegrated memory such as a hard drive, a solid state hard drive, or thelike.

In some examples, the processing resources (502) and the memoryresources (504) are located within the same physical component, such asa server, or a network component. The memory resources (504) may be partof the physical component's main memory, caches, registers, non-volatilememory, or elsewhere in the physical component's memory hierarchy.Alternatively, the memory resources (504) may be in communication withthe processing resources (502) over a network. Further, the datastructures, such as the libraries may be accessed from a remote locationover a network connection while the programmed instructions are locatedlocally. Thus, the determining system (500) may be implemented on a userdevice, on a server, on a collection of servers, or combinationsthereof.

The determining system (500) of FIG. 5 may be part of a general purposecomputer. However, in alternative examples, the determining system (500)is part of an application specific integrated circuit.

While the examples above have been described with reference to specificmechanisms for verifying a digital signature, any appropriate mechanismfor verifying a digital signature may be used in accordance with theprinciples described herein. Further, while the examples above have beendescribed with reference to specific mechanisms for determining anidentifier of a consumable product, any appropriate mechanism fordetermining an identifier of a consumable product may be used inaccordance with the principles described herein.

Also, while the examples above have been described with reference tospecific mechanisms for matching the identifiers of the currentconsumable product with the list of non-authenticated identifiers, anyappropriate mechanism for matching identifiers may be used in accordancewith the principles described herein. Additionally, while the examplesabove have been described with reference to specific mechanisms fordetermining which portions of the list to download to the device, anyappropriate mechanism for determining which portions of the list todownload may be used in accordance with the principles described herein.Further, the list, or the portions thereof, may be downloaded to thedevice or to another device associated with the device. For example, thelist may be downloaded to a computer that is networked to the printer.In such examples, the computer may have additional memory to dedicate tostoring the list, and accordingly, the computer may store a largerportion of the list of non-authenticated identifiers.

The host device may include specific measures to protect the hostdevice's list from tampering or deletion. For example, the host devicemay include a policy of updating the list on a periodic basis to ensurethat the list is accurate. While the above examples have been describedwith reference to mechanisms for protecting the non-authentic identifierlist stored locally in the host device, any appropriate mechanism forprotecting the local list may be implemented according to the principlesdescribed herein.

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate anddescribe examples of the principles described. This description is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of determining an authenticity of aconsumable product, comprising: communicating with a listing engine thatcontains a list of identifiers for consumable products classified asnon-authentic, wherein the identifiers for consumable productsclassified as non-authentic are associated with at least one of: ageography of occurrence, and a frequency of failed authentications;installing the consumable product in a host device, wherein theconsumable product stores an identifier in a memory; and determiningwhether the identifier stored in the consumable product matches one ofthe identifiers for consumable products classified as non-authentic. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying only a portion ofthe list of identifiers based on at least one of a geography of the hostdevice, and the frequency of failed authentication.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising denying an authentication request for theconsumable product during an authentication session based on theidentifier stored in the consumable product being included in the listof identifiers.
 4. The method of claim 3, comprising preventing usage ofthe consumable product in response to denying the authenticationrequest.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading aportion of the list of identifiers to the host device based on availableor allocated memory in the host device.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the host device is a printer and the consumable product is aprint cartridge.
 7. A device comprising: a processor; and anon-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on theprocessor to: communicate, over a network, with an engine to download,from the engine, a list of identifiers of consumable products classifiedas non-authentic; store the downloaded list of identifiers at thedevice; update, by communicating with the engine over the network, thedownloaded list of identifiers stored at the device using an update tothe list of identifiers at the engine; in response to connection of afirst consumable product to the device, determine whether a consumableproduct identifier stored in the first consumable product matches anyidentifier in the updated list of identifiers stored at the device; anddeny authentication of the first consumable product in response todetermining that the consumable product identifier matches an identifierin the updated list of identifiers stored at the device.
 8. The deviceof claim 7, wherein the instructions are executable on the processor toinitiate an authentication session between the device and the firstconsumable product.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the denying ofauthentication is during the authentication session.
 10. The device ofclaim 7, wherein the device is a printer and the first consumableproduct is a print cartridge.
 11. The device of claim 7, wherein theinstructions are executable on the processor to perform the updating ona periodic basis.
 12. The device of claim 7, wherein the instructionsare executable on the processor to perform the updating in response to auser request.
 13. The device of claim 7, wherein the instructions areexecutable on the processor to perform the updating in response to theupdate to the list of identifiers becoming available at the engine. 14.The device of claim 7, wherein the identifiers in the updated list ofidentifiers stored at the device are associated with at least one of: ageography of occurrence of a failed authentication, and a frequency offailed authentications.
 15. A non-transitory computer readable storagemedium storing computer readable instructions that when executed cause adevice comprising a processor to: recognize that a consumable product isconnected to the device; update a list of identifiers of consumableproducts classified as non-authentic, the list of identifiers stored atthe device, and the updating comprising communicating, over a network,with a listing engine that contains a listing engine list of identifiersof consumable products classified as non-authentic; initiate anauthentication session between the device and the consumable product;and authenticate, using the updated list of identifiers, the consumableproduct during the authentication session.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computerreadable instructions when executed cause the device to deny anauthentication request from the consumable product during theauthentication session in response to determining that an identifier ofthe consumable product is in the updated list of identifiers.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein theidentifiers in the updated list of identifiers are associated with atleast one of: a geography of occurrence of a failed authentication, anda frequency of failed authentications.
 18. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions uponexecution cause the device to perform the updating on a periodic basis.19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15,wherein the instructions upon execution cause the device to perform theupdating in response to a user request.
 20. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions uponexecution cause the device to perform the updating in response to anupdate to the list of identifiers becoming available at the listingengine.